While I'm Around
by Socra
Summary: Harry is at the Dursley's for the summer when he meets a muggle girl...


Disclaimer: I don't own yaddah yaddah...

A/N- I'm gonna try to make this nice and fluffy and a bit sappy. Yay!

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Chapter One 

Harry sat in the park near his Aunt and Uncle's house on Privet Drive. It was mid-July and his next year at Hogwarts seemed like an eternity anyway. He wanted to stay out all night away from that wretched house wherein he spent all his summers. However, he knew that once Dudley passed the park on his way home, he would have to hurry back as well so he returned before his cousin, as was the rule.

The night was dead quiet until a girl turned the corner, walking with great haste. "You can't walk away from me!" he heard a familiar voice shout. Dudley. The girl ignored Dudley and kept walking, starting to cut through the park. Harry stood absolutely still so he wouldn't be noticed. Dudley came into view, charging after the girl. He was seemingly alone.

The girl looked back over her shoulder to see Dudley right behind her. He put a hand over her mouth to muffler her surpised scream and pushed her down onto the grass roughly. With one beefy hand he ripped at her blouse, the buttons flying off and revealing her. Then he reached down to grab the hem of her skirt, but didn't have the chance to pull it up for a dark blur catapulted into his side and he fell sideways off the girl.

Harry got up and stood between Dudley and the girl. Dudley staggered to his feet as well, fists clenched, fat jiggling. When he recognized Harry, fear flashed through his narrowed eyes and he seemed to be thinking about what his next move should be. The girl stood up as well, pulling her shirt closed and straightening her skirt. "You filthy pig!" Harry growled through clenched teeth, reaching for his wand.

"No Harry!" Dudley cried, noticing the move. "You're not allowed!"

"Get out of here _now_ Dudley," Harry said evenly.

Dudley tripped over his feet as he ran from the park towards his house. Harry turned to the girl awkwardly. "Are you okay?" he asked cautiously, not sure of her mental state.

She nodded, but she was shaking all over. Careful not to seem agressive, Harry put an arm around her shoulders and led her to a bench. When they sat down, she immediately collapsed against him and starting crying. She buried her face in his chest as if to hide the tears. He put his arms around her lightly, not wanting her to feel trapped in any way.

Her sobbing grew louder, filled with such anguish that Harry felt a pang in his chest. He stroked her hair soothingly and whispered to her that it was going to be okay. She had thick brown hair that was less frizzy and curly than Hermione's; it was actually pretty straight and hung down a ways past her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown as far as Harry could tell, but it was late at night...

She calmed her crying after a while and was reduced to sniffling. "You know Dudley?" she asked him quietly.

"Sadly, he's my cousin," Harry answered.

"You don't look like him at all," she remarked.

"Thanks," Harry grinned, trying to cheer her up a bit by implying it was a wonderful thing that he did not look like like Dudley.

"I've never seen you around the neighborhood before though. Are you visiting?"

"Sort of. I lived here until I was eleven, then I went went off to boarding school. I still have to come 'home' for summers however," he explained.

"I've lived here my whole life," she said.

"On Privet Drive?"

"Yes, across the street and down a ways from Dudley," she told him.

"Well, I've never seen you around either."

"I don't hide."

"I did."

"So that explains it then," the corners of her lips turned up a little and then dropped down again.

"What's your name?" Harry asked timidly.

"Jenny."

"I'm-"

"Harry, I know," she interjected. "Dudley said your name." She finally lifted her head from his chest and Harry quickly let go of her as they seperated. "Harry," she looked down at her feet, "thank you for standing up to Dudley for me. He's a pretty scary guy..."

Harry laughed, "Scary? Underneath it all, Dudley is a true coward."

"I didn't feel like I was dealing with a coward," she murmured.

Harry stayed silent, regretting what he said. She sighed and looked up at the sky. He watched her for a minute and then leaned his back as well. The sky was clear and sprinkled with stars. Not as many as at Hogwart's, but not so bad for the middle of the suburbs.

"Jenny?" Harry asked warily.

"Yes Harry?"

"Why-er, why was Dudley after you?"

A long silence. Then she began to speak, slowly and carefully, "On the last day of school, all the older teenagers in the neighborhood had a party that night. I went with my friends and there was alcohol... we drank alot. Then we all decided to play spin-the-bottle and when I spun it, it landed on Dudley. Not a big deal, we've grown up together and he's always been decent to me. I kissed him, but we were drunk and ended up making out. Yes I know- nasty. He seemed to think it meant something. The next day he asked me out and I said no. After that he started cornering me with his buddies and... making me kiss him and things along that line." She kept her eyes on the sky as she spoke and fidgeted uncomfortably.

Oh if only Harry could hex his cousin's sorry ass. "I'm sorry," he told her, feeling truly rotten about her whole ordeal.

"Well, hopefully he will leave me alone now," she didn't sound convinced.

"He won't bother you as long as I'm around," Harry offered.

Jenny gently put her hand in his and he felt a rush of adrenaline, "Thanks Harry."


End file.
